World Class
Cocktail Festival 2026

The Occasion

Roia Joins World Class Singapore 2026

Roia is among Singapore's participating venues for the World Class Cocktail Festival 2026 — Diageo's annual platform celebrating craft cocktail culture across the city's finest bars and restaurants. Throughout May, the kitchen and bar at Roia offer a dedicated pairing experience: each course from Chef Priyam Chatterjee's tasting menu matched with a cocktail developed in collaboration with a World Class guest bartender.

The pairing draws on Diageo's portfolio of premium spirits — Tanqueray, Johnnie Walker, Ketel One, and others — with particular attention to botanical and spiced notes that find a natural counterpart in the layered flavours of progressive Indian cooking. The result is a different kind of tasting progression: one that moves across both plate and glass, tracing a line from the garden to the kitchen to the bar.

The Pairing

A Progression Across Plate and Glass

The cocktail pairing at Roia during World Class 2026 is structured around the existing tasting menu — not added to it, but woven through it. Each drink is composed to respond to the course it accompanies rather than to stand apart from it. Where the food opens with delicate botanical notes, the pairing follows. Where the main course reaches into richer, spiced territory, the glass does the same.

Guests who prefer non-alcoholic pairings will find a parallel sequence of botanical infusions prepared in-house by the bar team — the same structural logic applied without spirits, drawing on the garden herbs and seasonal produce that distinguish Roia's kitchen.

About the Festival

World Class — Diageo's Annual Cocktail Platform

World Class began as a global bartender competition before expanding into a broader festival format that now runs in cities across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In Singapore, the festival has grown alongside the city's bar scene — from a handful of participating venues to a citywide programme that touches everything from heritage shophouse bars to hotel rooftops and fine dining restaurants.

The Singapore edition of World Class 2026 runs throughout May, with participating venues each bringing their own interpretation of what cocktail culture means within their specific context. For Roia, that means engaging with the festival through the lens of what the restaurant already does well: precision, layered flavour, and a strong sense of place.

"The spice logic in Chef Priyam's cooking gives us an unusual amount to work with on the bar side. Turmeric, cardamom, tamarind, curry leaf — these are not difficult ingredients to find echoes of in a well-stocked spirits cabinet. The challenge is restraint, not discovery."

The Setting

E.J.H Corner House — A Heritage Venue in the Gardens

Roia is housed in E.J.H Corner House, a restored colonial bungalow dating to 1910 within Singapore Botanic Gardens — a UNESCO World Heritage site. The building's history as a residence, its garden surrounds, and the stillness of the Botanic Gardens at evening all contribute to an atmosphere that distinguishes a dinner at Roia from the usual city dining experience.

The Private Salon, on the ground floor, accommodates up to ten guests and is available for groups wishing to experience the World Class pairing menu in a private setting. The main dining room on the second floor — The Balcony — overlooks the gardens through floor-to-ceiling glass and is open for the full duration of May.

Parking is available at NParks HQ Block Carpark A or B. Roia's buggy service runs from Nassim Gate on request — guests are encouraged to notify the team upon arrival.